Spike.



IUNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

GEORGE A. sTRAWsER, or PFoUTs VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoE or ONEFHALE T0 A. L LONG, OF MILLERSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPIKE.

Specication of Letters .Patent.

Patented May '7, 1912.

To all whom t map/,concern Be it known thatfl'; Glick/GE A. STRAWSER,

a' citizen of the United States, residing at Pfouts Val/ley, in the county of Perry, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spikes; -and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v y Y This invention relates to spikes and has for an object to provide a spike and key therefor serving to lock the spike against accidental withdrawal. f

In many of the key equipped spikes, th key when driven home must form its own groove in the tie, and consequently, due to the frailty of the key, the latter is often times fvbent and distorted during driving' homev and thus the utility of the key impaired or its complete withdrawal and replacement with a new key necessitated. ,To obviate this disadvantage, I provide j a groove forming projection on the key receiving face of the spike, this projection being so formed as to not impede driving of the spike to final position while at the same time being so formed as `to make a' groove in the tie of'sulcient size to receive the key.

A further object of thisinvention is 'to provide the groove making projection with a camv face which will bend outwardly the penetrating end of the key so that the penetrating end together with the adjacent por'- tions `of the spike coact in forming alock which will positively prevent :accidental withdrawal of the spike. Y

. With the above objects in view the invention consists ofthe certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appendedclaim.

' In' the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification :'-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved spike with thefkeyv shown in full lines in initialvposition for driving, and in dotted lines in final position. .Fig.` 2 is a rear .elevation 'of the spike with the parts as shown in full lines in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 3 Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isa cross section on the line L -4; Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts, 1() designates a spike which'ter-- minates at one end4 in a head 11, and at its opposite end in a chisel point 12. vFormed in-one face vof the spike is a longitudinal rabbet 13, this rabbet beginning at the head of the spike and terminating below the center of the spike, and gradually increasing in depth from both ends to the center.4v The 'value of this form of 'rabbet is that it causes the shank of the hereinafter *described key to be bent or bowed throughout its entire length during driving to final position.

The spike is equipped at`the lower end of the rabbet 13 with a projection 111 having an inclined face 15 which forms a continuation of' one of the faces of the chisel point,

and an inclined face 16 which slopesin an oppositie direction from the face 15 and forms a continuation of the bottoml wall of the rabbet.- The face 16 acts as a cam which coperates with theconcave bottom wall of the rabbet in bending the above mentioned lkey as will be presently described. The pro# jection is substantially the same in width at its juncture with the rabbet as the rabbet itself, and the sides 17 are cut away from points adjacent to said juncture to the ex# treme lower end of the projection meeting in a penetrating point 17. The projection, intermediate the inclined faces 15 and 16, is approximately square .in cross section and `of lesswidth than the rabbet.- Upon driving of the spiketo linal position` this projection will-form a groove in the tie which registers with the rabbet inthe spike and coacts therewith in forming a key way.

The key comprises a shank 18 which is approximatelyA square in cross section and terminates, at one end in a head 19 and at its opposite end in a beveled face 20 which forms a penetrating point. The keyis of such diameter as to somewhat snugly lit Within the key way as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. l

' In inserting the key, the beveled leading face 2O is 4turned away from the bottom wall of the rabbet. During driving of the keyv to final position, by virtue of the pene? Atrating point of the spike bearing upon the bottom wall of the rabbet, the spike will be virtue of the curvature being more abrupt fat the leading end of the key, a wedge or lockl is formed.' by the lfree end of the key and 4adjacent portions of the spike which' will positively prevent accidental withdrawal of the spike. y

It will be noted, and this vfeature is deemed of importance, that the key way formed by the groove made in the tie and the rabbet, permit ofthe key'being easily driven to final position, and thus distortion of the key during driving positively prevented.

What is claimed, is

The combination of a s ike having a 1ongitudinal rabbet in one si e spaced from the edges of the side and formed with a curvilinear bottom vwall which merges gradually at the ends into-said side, a groove making projection on said spike having a cam face forming a continuation. of said wall, and a key -in said rabbet adapted to be bowed through substantially its entire length by said wall and face during driving to final position.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. STRAWSER. Witnesses:

GRAY MILLER,

ADDA Bam. 

